NOBLE YEATS
Winner of the 2022 Grand National as a seven-year-old novice, going off on odds of 50/1. Ridden by amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen on his last race before he retired.
NO: | FORM: 9P291 | AGE: 7 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: E. Mullins
ANY SECOND NOW
A third-place finish in the 2021 Grand National seemed commendable, especially considering that he was hampered during the race. Went well again in 2022 to finish in second place so can he finally win in the 2023 Grand National?
NO: | FORM: 3-9612 | AGE: 10 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: T. Walsh
WIN MY WINGS
Winner of the Scottish Grand National in 2022, Win My Wings is very much in his element over the longer distances having also won the Midlands Grand National in February.
NO: | FORM: 5P111 | AGE: 9 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: C. Williams
KITTYS LIGHT
A chaser that runs a lot, Kittys Light was second in the Scottish Grand National but is still a young horse that often places but misses out on the wins.
NO: | FORM: P4722 | AGE: 6 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: C. Williams
DELTA WORK
Delta Work won the Glenfarclas Chase at Cheltenham before heading to Aintree with high hopes. He was bested on the day but ran a great race to finish in third place and could easily be back for the 2023 Grand National.
NO: | FORM: -46613 | AGE: 9 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: G. Elliott
FIDDLERONTHEROOF
Fiddlerontheroof is a consistent horse and in 2021 was the runner-up in the Novice’s Chase at Cheltenham. On the back a good season he headed to Aintree and finished 5th in the Grand National. Has every chance of improving on that in 2023.
NO: | FORM: 3-1225 | AGE: 8 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: C. Tizzard
ENJOY D’ALLEN
He finished third in the Irish Grand National in 2021 but his first time over the Aintree fences was not great and he unseated at the first fence. Out early, connections then sent him to the Irish Grand National a few weeks later where he finished in 9th place.
NO: | FORM: 735U9 | AGE: 8 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: C. Murphy
MINELLA TIMES
Rachael Blackmore rode into the history books on Minella Times in 2021 when she became the first woman jockey to win the Grand National. The duo will be big favourites again in 2022. However, Minella Times will be asked to carry top weight which is a big hill to climb.
NO: | FORM: 221-FP | AGE: 9 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: H. De Bromhead
SNOW LEOPARDESS
Snow Leopardess is in fantastic form, having already triumphed at Aintree in the Becher Chase. The stunning looking grey mare will undoubtedly be a popular betting choice on Grand National day. The race has been won by 13 mares over its long history, can Snow Leopardess pounce for the girls in 2022? Maybe.
NO: | FORM: 46-111 | AGE: 10 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: C. Longsdon
RUN WILD FRED
Run Wild Fred has been on a roll since finishing second in the Irish Grand National in April 2021. A victory in the Troytown Handicap Chase and a second place in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham has demonstrated his abilities. He might be worth an each-way flutter.
NO: | FORM: 2-2122 | AGE: 8 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: G. Elliott
LONGHOUSE POET
Won the Goffs Thyestes in January, so not without merit. Had a run out over the hurdles at Navan in late February. A difficult horse to assess, remains a first-timer over the fences at Aintree, which is generally a negative.
NO: | FORM: 31-717 | AGE: 8 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: M. Brassil
GOOD BOY BOBBY
From 12 starts, he has won four races and finished second four times. Despite lacking experience beyond 3m, he has never fallen, unseated his rider, or pulled up, which bodes very well for his chances.
NO: | FORM: -31217 | AGE: 9 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: N. Twiston-Davies
COMMODORE
One of just three grey runners that will run in the Grand National 2022 and after a long break returned to racing this season, winning at Cheltenham in December. Is that one race enough prep for Aintree?
NO: | FORM: 2U9P-1 | AGE: 10 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: V. Williams
FORTESCUE
11 wins or places from 14 starts is an impressive record for the Henry Daly trained horse. Most recently a winner at Ascot in February, beating Fiddlerontheroof.
NO: | FORM: -37231 | AGE: 8 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: H. Daly
SCHOOL BOY HOURS
Made the cut on the last day to secure a place in the starting 40. A win in the Paddy Power Chase in December boosted his claims for the Grand National and connections are hopeful about his chances.
NO: | FORM: 43-61P | AGE: 9 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: N. Meade
ESCARIA TEN
Escaria Ten is turning into a handy long distance chaser, was third in the 2021 National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham. He had a crack at the Irish National shortly afterwards but never looked like getting involved and was pulled up. In February was narrowly beaten by Any Second Now in the Bobby Chase. Worthy of consideration.
NO: | FORM: 23P-82 | AGE: 8 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: G. Elliott
MIGHTY THUNDER
Mighty Thunder should be well suited for the Grand National distance. His win in the Scottish Grand National last year puts him in a favourable position to make a statement at Aintree. However, he pulled up in his last two outings which gives cause for concern. There is no doubt that this is a risky pick, but odds reflect that.
NO: | FORM: 21-4PP | AGE: 9 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: L. Russell
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Ratings Explained
We give each horse a rating based on how closely it matches the trends and statistics of past Grand National winners.
Unlikely to mount a serious challenge.
Could place with a slice of luck.
A strong eachway chance and could even win it.
Ante post odds listed on this page are taken from Betfred on 22/04/22. Check the odds with your Bookmaker before placing a bet as fluctuations can occur. Full Terms and Conditions for the promotional bet offers can be found on the respective websites – please read them before signing up.
Every year a maximum of 40 runners line up at the start of the Aintree Grand National and 600 million people worldwide tune in to watch them tackle the 30 notoriously difficult fences in a bid to put themselves into the history books. But how do those particular runners and riders make it to Grand National day?
A horse will be entered into the Grand National 2023 if it meets the minimum criteria for qualification and the owner and trainer feel that their horse is capable of handling the race. Not all horses are suited to the long Aintree course or have the necessary jumping ability. Even if a horse gets entered that doesn’t guarantee a place at the starting line as frequently over 100 get entered but there is a maximum field of just 40 for the race.
The race is open to horses aged seven and upwards that have been placed first, second, third or fourth in a chase of three miles or more and who are allotted a rating of at least 125 by the BHA Handicapper.
The entry date for the race is always at the end of January, with the names and numbers announced by the BHA (British Horseracing Authority) the following day.
Number Of Entries
- 2022 – 107
- 2021 – 106
- 2020 – 105 (cancelled)
- 2019 – 112
- 2018 – 105
- 2017 – 110
- 2016 – 126
- 2015 – 98
The BHA Head Of Handicapping then takes the list of entries and frames the weights. In other words, he decides which runners will carry the heaviest weights and which will carry the least. The handicap system is designed to give every horse a fair chance of winning the race, good horses will carry more weight than those perceived to have less ability.
The maximum weight any horse can carry in the Grand National will be 11st 10lbs and the minimum is 10st. Each runner’s weight will be largely determined by their OR (Official Rating) and the higher the rating, the higher the weight. Although the Grand National is the only race in Britain in which the Handicapper can ignoring the official ratings if he wishes, often to the consternation of owners and trainers.
Horses are then put in descending order from the highest to the lowest weighted and that also determines their race number. The top-weighted horse is number one, second heaviest weighted horse is number two, and so on.
The weights are then announced, and from then on a series of ‘Declaration Stages’ or ‘Forfeit Stages’ take place.
At each of these stages, potential Grand National Runners can be withdrawn from the proceedings by their trainers and as they are removed and the entries get whittled down so even horses that have not initially made the Top 40 may now do so as entries above them are taken out.
In 2022 there were four different top weighted runners – Conflated, Galvin, Melon and Chris’s Dream. However, as each was withdrawn it left Minella Times carrying top weight.
The very last declaration stage takes place at 10am on the Thursday immediately before Grand National day. This is the point where the top 40 Grand National runners will be near completion along with four additional reserves.
The following day, Friday, by 1pm any non-runners must be declared and be replaced by one of the four reserves. This is also the point where any horses who were previously allocated weights of less than 10st will have their weight increased to meet requirements.
Three runners were withdrawn at this stage in 2018 and replaced with reserves. However, on the morning of the National two more were taken out due to the heavy ground. This resulted in 38 declared Grand National runners who lined up.
Unfortunately in 2020, the race was cancelled and did not go ahead. In 2021, no runners were withdrawn at the very final stage and 40 runners ran.
In 2022, Commodore, School Boy Hours and Romain De Senam took the final spots in the Grand National after Phoenix Way, Easysland and Lord Du Mesnil were declared non-runners.
Grand National 2022 Top Weight
There has to be a Top Weight for the Grand National and that runner will always carry 11st 10lbs. For 2022 there were two horses that were all allocated top weight. They were Conflated and Galvin, both trained by Gordon Elliott.
However, both horses were withdrawn at the latest declaration stage, along with the next horse in line, Melon. That meant the Chris’s Dream moved into the top spot all horses had their weights increased by 5lbs.
But at the six day declaration stage on April 4th 2022, trainer Henry De Bromhead withdrew Chris’s Dream and that means Minella Times, last year’s Grand National winner, will carry top weight for the 2022 Grand National.
It also means another one pound increase for all runners.
So can Minella Times win carrying top weight in 2022? The truth is that it makes another win very unlikely. It’s not impossible however the last horse to win back-to-back Nationals, while carrying top weight, was Red Rum in 1974.
Even when Tiger Roll won his second National, he was only running off 11-05.
Only connections know if Minella Times can successfully get around the course carrying 21lbs more than the winning weight of 10-03 in 2021.
This season also hasn’t been the greatest for Minella Times. He went to Punchestown in December in the John Durkin Memorial Chase before going to Leopardstown where he pulled up.
Both races were only around 2m5f but he carried top weight in both. It just doesn’t bode well for Aintree.
That said, the 2022 Grand National will be as much about luck as anything else. If the horse finds form on the day and everything goes your way then you have as much chance of winning as any other runner in the race.
2022 Grand National Race Favourite
Three horses are currently vying for the spot of Grand National 2022 favourite. Any Second Now, Delta Work and Snow Leopardess are all on very short ante-post odds.
Of course anything can happen between now and race day and as the National draws ever closer and excitement intensifies, the odds will change.
Any Second Now
Any Second Now is ticking a lot of boxes. He ran and finished in third place last year so we all know that he can get around those tricky fences.
He has already won at more than 3m this season and has a respectable record of four wins and nine places from 20 chase starts.
His only issue is going to be the weight. Last year he ran off 10-09 and while the BHA Handicapper did increase that for 2022 to 11-02, it would still have been manageable.
However, with the top three horses getting withdrawn, Any Second Now goes up 5lbs and will start on a very tricky 11-07.
To put that in context, only one horse, in TWENTY years has won with more than that weight. That was Many Clouds in 2015, carrying 11-09.
The Jockeys
The criteria for professional or amateur jockeys wanting to take part in the race are very specific.
They must have ridden not less than 15 winners in chases or hurdle races under the Rules of Racing and/or the Rules of the Irish National Hunt Committee and ridden not less than 10 of these winners in chases.
A champion jockey like A.P. McCoy who primarily rode horses for super owner J.P. McManus had his pick of horses in the race before he retired.
Top jockey Barry Geraghty took over as the retained rider for McManus but announced his retirement in July 2020.
Since then Mark Walsh has been named as the retained rider for the McManus horses in Ireland.
The likes of Davy Russell and Rachael Blackmore are other top jockeys who can often choose their rides and odds will tumble on any horses chosen by the pair.
Amateur jockeys are now a rarity in the Grand National compared with races early days.
Sam Waley-Cohen is probably the most famous amateur rider in recent years and he enjoys a record over the Aintree fences which is the envy of many a professional.
Other jockeys will usually ride for the yards that retain them or a trainer will engage their services just for this race.
In recent years a number of high profile jockeys have missed the race due to injuries picked up at the Cheltenham festival which is the last major National Hunt meeting before Aintree.
In 2018, Ruby Walsh suffered a leg fracture and Leighton Aspell suffered a neck injury that put them out of contention for the Grand National.
Bryony Frost experienced the same fate in 2019 when an injury at Cheltenham ruled her out of the National.
Don’t be put off backing a less well-known jockey or even one who has never ridden the course before.
In 2013 jockey Ryan Mania won the race at his first attempt. And David Mullins did the same thing on Rule The World in 2016!
In 2018 we saw a number of jockeys making their debut. They included James Bowen, Bryony Frost, Sam Coltherd, and Rachael Blackmore. Bryony Frost was the best finisher, getting Milansbar to fifth place.
In the Grand National 2019, Lizzie Kelly made her debut on Tea For Two.
By the end of the Grand National 2021, history had been made. Rachael Blackmore and Minella Times ran the perfect race, making Blackmore the first female jockey to ever win the Grand National.
For the 2022 Grand National there were seven jockey’s making their debut.
They were: Tommy Dowson, Conor Orr, Ricky Doyle, Philip Armson, Jordan Gainford, Hugh Nugent and Harry Bannister.
What Are The Odds?
The odds quoted on any horse in the Grand National represent your potential returns if that horse should win. If a horse is quoted as 10/1 then the 10 figure is the amount you’ll get back from the bookie for a 1 unit stake. In other words, bet £1 and you’ll win £10 back. You’ll also get back the original £1 stake, making a total return of £11.
Who Decides The Odds?
The simple answer is the bookmakers. Initially, bookies will offer odds on all the horses running in the National and the bookmaker is aiming to show a profit on the race regardless of the outcome. In many ways the bookmaker doesn’t care who wins, because if he can get the maths right, he will always come out on top. Although this doesn’t always happen over one race.
In a perfect world the spread of bets on the race would guarantee the bookie a nice profit whoever wins. However, if punters keep placing bets on one horse, let us call this horse ‘Plucky Pete’, at a level disproportionate to other runners then the bookie has built up a potential liability. If ‘Plucky Pete’ wins the race the bookie will lose a fortune and they really don’t like losing! To stop this happening the bookmaker has a couple of options. They can offer bigger odds on other runners and simultaneously shorten the odds on ‘Plucky Pete’ in the hope of attracting bets away from the horse with the big liability and onto other runners. This is why you see the odds fluctuating right up until the off.
So the bookmaker sets the odds initially but the volume of money place on any runner will move the odds right up until the race starts.
What’s An Each Way Bet
The ‘Each Way’ bet works like this… Instead of betting on a horse to come 1st you can make a bet that your horse can finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th (some bookmakers payout 5th & 6th places) The each way bet is really two bets in one, a £5 each way bet will cost you £10. You’re betting £5 that a horse wins and £5 that he will finish in one of the places.
Sounds like a good deal? And for the Grand National, it can make sense to back a horse each way over a straight win bet, but remember bookies aren’t registered charities. So to compensate for your increased chances of winning they reduce the quoted odds on the place part of the bet. If a horse comes home 1st you’ll still get the full quoted odds. However, should he only place, you’ll only get a quarter of the quoted odds (some bookmaker pay less than a quarter odds).
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